Life...a chess game that keeps getting harder by the minute. You move a step without fully knowing the consequences and ramifications of your choices. Only three things keep me going, my beloved soulmate, football, and my need for speed. There are not many things that are as fulfilling as driving on a clear road, with 100mph on the clock, with the windows down. Air gushing past, howling behind you...it's just a natural high.

Monday, November 28, 2005

Competition is an essence of life

In a global world where survivability and ability to compete comes hand in hand with each other, you're either competing, or you're out of the game. This fact does not only apply to managing a business, but it also applies to everyday life, from picking up the ladies (or men for that matter), to finding a job, to managing a country... If you can't handle the competition, then there's no way you can survive.

To compete, you have to know your strengths and build on them, and your weaknesses and improve on them. For those institutions that strive to win over the competition, they are actively improving, finding that little bit extra cutting edge that they can have over their fellow competitors. This is what Ferrari, one of the most successful super car manufacturers in the world today, have exemplified.

The extra cutting edge, Ferrari reckons, is the touch of fresh imagination that only the youths of today can provide. In conjunction with world renowned Pininfarina, Ferrari has opened a competition among the students of top design schools worldwide to design and produce new concept designs for Ferrari's next generation of cars. In return, the top four finalists would receive a starting career within the company. Pretty fair don't you think?

20 best concepts were chosen, and they will be scrutinised and judged by none other than the experts from both companies. The contenders couldn't be more exciting and interesting. The top 10 designs can be seen below in no particular order.

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10

Permit me to comment a bit on the designs. What a brilliant bunch of young designers they are. It really shows that art is a talent and comes from within, it definitely can't be learnt. But, I have to say that my least favourite concepts are number 10 and 4. Firstly, number 10, what is that little snout coming outfrom the front? It looks a bit like a really short penis with huge balls. Notice the side mirrors on design number 4? Here comes Shrek 3! Number 8 looks like the batmobile, and number 7, the SLR McMerc? Number 1 and 9 are my favourite. The two colour scheme makes them look modern, contemporary and sleek, yet retaining the curves of classical Ferrari designs. Now, the results are yet to be decided by Ferrari, but personally, I hope number 1 wins.

Kudos to Ferrari for this innovative feat. I really do hope they can continue producing engineering masterpieces such as the F430 Spyder, atleast until I can afford to own one. I have no idea when that would happen!

Don't you think the Skyline R35 concept they've just unveilled looks more like a Mustang design? The looks are more of an American muscle car then a typical Japanese funky concept designs. I kind of like it!

Mustang design? Oh, I got ya...the lines on the passenger compartment and rear quarter. I really hate the R35...what I really wish they'd do is update the technology on the R35, play around with a few minor stylistic things, and then send the car over here to America like they've been promising to do since forever. I really hate the front end. The rear half of the car isn't all that bad. But those headlights and that grille have to go.

I'm considering selling my tuned EVO VIII MR and buying a very low-mileage, stock R34 V-Spec off of a guy. Americanized, of course, steering wheel on the left side. I love the style concept of the Skylines...mostly a fairly boring, slightly oversized coupe. But to the people who know...

Oh, yes, the Elise. I've driven them, and I've found that they're...orgasmic. But for me, there were a couple downsides. The things have no power, although that can be remedied with a $5000 kit from ForceFed that gives you a turbo and pushes output to 460hp or so, which if you do the math, means your little 1.01g-pulling Elise now has the same power-weight ratio as a McLaren F1.

Then there's the wait list. Here in America, it's a year, minimum. I can pull some strings and get one in six to eight months. But I'm not a wait-six-months kinda guy.

Last, there's the size. As much of a carefree image I like to portray, I occasionally have to do mundane things like get groceries. And the Elise's under-hood compartment just isn't big enough. That, and I still have to cart Lisa around every once in a while. Now, I'm fine with tiny, cramped cockpits. The Elise is roomy compared to a JGTC car. But with two people, the thing is just too small. And Lisa would hate riding in it. And here on American roads, we have these big awful things called "SUVs" and "semis" that would convert an Elise into a paperweight. That's fine with me, but I'm not going to take that chance with my girl.

Lastly...I cannot drive any car I try and sell. It just doesn't work with the atmosphere I try and create, which is "I have infinitely more taste and automotive knowledge than you, so trust me". I have to drive something above and beyond anything they can imagine. A Skyline accomplishes that rather nicely, along with the space and cargo capacity requirements.

But I do try and shove Elises down the throat of anyone who comes in looking to spend about that much money. All the people who want Corvettes, basically. I've sold five, and three of them also ordered that turbo kit and some other goodies. ForceFed sent me a very nice Christmas basket. And I also put the Elise down as my top pick for the $45k market slot on my blog, back when I did my Cars That Don't Suck entry. Yes, I have much love for the Elise, but I just can't squeeze one in at the moment.

The 460-hp Elise is for-real. And it maintains the driveability of the stock car, assuming you know things like throttle control and proper shifting. I got a chance to drive the specially-prepared ForceFed Elise, which came with their Stage 4 turbo (the big-power one; technically capable of 500-hp, but keeping it to 460 gives you a nicer powerband), which came with the Ohlins suspension kit that bumps the skidpad number to 1.08g. It's an amazing drive. The only downside is that you really have to think about how you're driving the car with that much power. Not so much that it gets in the way of having fun, but the stock Elise is just a no-brainer: keep turning the wheel. If rate of turn is not high enough, turn wheel some more.

Now...what we'd really want to have is maybe 300-350hp, R-compound tires (I like BF Goodrich g-Force KDs), the Ohlins kit, an aero body kit with a GT-style wing, and a race-type underbody panel made of carbon fiber, complete with rear ventrillos to max out the downforce. I bet that if I had ten grand to drop on an Elise, I could get it to crack the 1.5g mark easily. Actually, they're making an all-aluminum track-only version with a little more power and a radically-redesigned, completely smooth body. Not even a windshield on the sucker.